Inside the cloud: reflections from 2,410 feet

The path up Ingleborough, the summit on Whernside and the path down Pen-y-ghent, Yorkshire Dales 7/10/23

Last weekend two friends and I took on the Yorkshire Dales Three Peaks challenge in 50mph winds, low level cloud and rain.

In life and work there are goals and challenges to achieve. Often the more stretching they are the more rewarding they are too; whether that is hitting your target, finding your soul mate or hiking up 3 mountains in adverse conditions!

It’s always fascinating to me that whatever the arena of the goal/challenge there are always some common truths. The hike reminded me of these:

Do it with the right people / team

• Look after them and each other on the journey.

• Attitude is just as important as skills.

• It is amazing what you can achieve together.

Prepare

• Even a little preparation goes a long way. The more, the better.

• If you want to be good at something you have to practice.

Communicate well and often

• Be clear on where you are going and agree how best to do it.

• Just because you communicated doesn’t mean it was heard or understood! Check back and repeat.

• Be honest about the hard parts - surprises can often be avoided, and when you know what is coming you tackle it better, even if its hard work.

Have the right tools

• Having the right tools does not guarantee success. Not having them guarantees almost certain failure (we saw this in action!)

• You get what you pay for: don’t scrimp on the essential items.

Adaptability matters

• The best laid plans still need to adjust to reality. Things will change so be ready to adapt.

• Remember to bring the team with you - both literally and emotionally.

Make faster decisions

• Take a moment to assess the upside and downside sooner. Where the downside is low move as soon as you have processed the thought - don’t wait.

Timing & context are key

• Even with all the points above in place the 'payoff' may not be as high as you hoped. There are things that will be out of your control (like clouds and wind!). Do everything to the best of your ability and the result is the result.

And because of that:

Enjoy the journey, not just the achievement

• Things may go better or worse than planned.

• More often than not with the right people, tools, preparation and communication success will follow.

• Enjoying the journey means whether it is a success or a near miss, you and your team will want to 'go' again.

We definitely did most of the above (and we saw some who didn't!). However on the day the wind and clouds made it a tougher climb and we didn't get the beautiful views from the top we had hoped for. But I went with the right team (for me this is always the No 1 point) and we will absolutely 'go' again.

And for anyone who read my pre-walk post - we did not get the glorious sun rise at the Ribblehead Viaduct! It was still a brilliant day - and there were a couple of hours of sunshine too...so we did get some views (and dry!) and raised nearly £3,000 for Alice's Arc and Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust 

Of the 3 mountains we walked up Pen-y-ghent (left) was the only peak we saw - but spirits remained high nonetheless, and it was still beautiful when we could see